Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Theory [ ] Womanist theory, while diverse, holds at its core that that both femininity and culture are equally as important to the woman’s existence. In this conception one’s femininity cannot be stripped from the culture that it exists within. At first glance, this seems similar to the thought process of third wave feminism, which embraced the concept of intersectionality. The difference lies in the valuation placed on intersectionality within the theoretical frameworks. Womanism espouses the idea that the culture of the woman, which in this case is the focal point of intersection as opposed to class or some other characteristic, is not an element of her femininity, but rather is the lens through which femininity exists. As such, a woman’s Blackness is not a component of her feminism; instead, her Blackness is the lens through which she understands her femininity. In discussing womanist theory, one must acknowledge the racism that was perceived by black women in the feminist movement.

This perception fuels two different conceptions of Womanism’s relationship with feminism. Some Womanists believe that the experience of Black women will not be validated by Feminists to be equal to the experience of White women because of the problematic way in which some feminists treated blackness throughout history. As such, they do not see Womanism as an extension of Feminism, but rather as a theoretical framework which exists independent of Feminist theory. This is a move from the thought of Black Feminists who have carved their own space in Feminism through academia and activism. However, not all womanists hold this view of Feminism.

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The chronological first conception of Womanism can be captured through Alice Walker’s quotation, “womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender” Under this description, the theories are intimately tied, with Womanism as the broad umbrella under which that Feminism falls. Theoretical origins [ ] Alice Walker [ ] Author and poet first utilized the term 'womanist' in her work, In Search of our Mother's Gardens: Womanist Prose. She explains that the term womanist is derived from the southern folk expression 'acting womanish.' The womanish girl exhibits willful, courageous, and outrageous behavior that is considered to be beyond the scope of societal norms.

She then goes on to say that a womanist is: A woman who loves another woman, sexually and/ or non sexually. She appreciates and prefers women's culture, women's emotional flexibility.[she] is committed to the survival and wholeness of an entire people, male and female. Not a separatist, except periodically for health. Loves the spirit. Loves struggle. Loves herself. According to Walker, while feminism is incorporated into womanism, it is also instinctively pro-humankind.

The focus of the theology is not on, but race and class-based oppression. She sees womanism as a theory/movement for the survival of the black race; a theory that takes into consideration the experiences of black women, black culture, black myths, spiritual life, and orality.

Walker's much cited phrase, 'womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender', suggests that feminism is a component beneath the much larger ideological umbrella of womanism. Walker's definition also holds that womanists are.

This philosophy is further invoked by her metaphor of a garden where are all flowers bloom equally. A womanist is committed to the survival of both and and desires a world where men and women can coexist, while maintaining their cultural distinctiveness. This inclusion of men provides Black women with an opportunity to address gender oppression without directly attacking men. A third definition provided by Walker pertains to the sexuality of the women portrayed in her review of 'Gifts of Power: The Writings of Rebecca Jackson'. Here, she argues that the best term to describe Rebecca Jackson, a black Shaker who leaves her husband and goes on to live with her white Shaker companion, would be a womanist, because it is a word that affirms the connection to the world, regardless of sexuality.

The seemingly contrasting interpretations of womanism given by Walker validates the experiences of African-American women, while promoting a visionary perspective for the world based on said experiences. The short story ' by Alice Walker illustrates the voice of a black rural middle class woman through the relationship that a black woman shares with her two daughters Dee and Maggie. Dee is spoiled and believes that her education and experiences make her better than her mother and her sister. On the other hand, Maggie envies her sister for her the beauty and arrogance that always gets her what she wants.

Historically, it has been very common for people of color to have their stories told by Caucasians. However, Walker attempts to break this tradition by having a black rural middle class woman tell the story of her relationships with her two daughters.

An important part of the story occurs when the mother in 'Everyday Use' states, 'You've no doubt seen those TV shows where the child who has 'made it' is confronted, as a surprise, by her own mother and father, tottering in weakly from backstage Sometimes I dream a dream in which Dee and I are suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort'. Here the mother reminisces about a family experience that she has witnessed on television that she wishes she could have for herself. A heart-warming scene similar to the one that the mother witnessed on television does not take place when her daughter Dee comes to visit.

Instead when Dee comes to visit the mother a rough, awkward tension-filled encounter slowly unfolds. Walker employs this story and its context to illustrate that a majority of womanism is characterized by black women telling their stories. Much of Alice Walker’s progeny admits that while she is the creator of the term, Walker fails to consistently define the term and often contradicts herself. At some points she portrays Womanism as a more inclusive revision of Black feminism as it is not limited to Black women and focuses on the woman as a whole.

Later in life she begins to regret this peace seeking and inclusive form of Womanism due to the constant and consistent prejudice inflicted upon Black women, specifically, whose voices had yet to be validated by both White women and Black men. Clenora Hudson-Weems [ ] is credited with coining the term. In 1995, the publication of her book, Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves sent shockwaves through the Black nationalism community and established her as an independent thinker. Hudson-Weems rejects feminism as the theology of women, that is to say women of the, because it is philosophically rooted in Eurocentric ideals. She further asserts that it is impossible to incorporate the cultural perspectives of African women into the feminism ideal due to the history of slavery and.Furthermore, Weems rejects Feminism’s characterization of the man as the enemy. She claims that this does not connect with Africana women as they do not see Africana men as the enemy. Instead the enemy is the oppressive force that subjugates the Africana man, woman, and child.

She claims that feminism’s masculine-feminine binary comes from a lack of additional hardship placed on women by their circumstances (i.e. Race and socio-economic) as Feminism was founded to appeal to upper-class White women. She also distances the Africana woman from Black feminism by demarcating the latter as distinctly African-American which is in turn distinctly western. She also critiques Black feminism as a subset of feminism needing the validation of White feminists for their voices to be heard. She claims that Feminism will never truly accept Black Feminists, but instead relegate them to the fringes of the Feminist movement. She ultimately claims that the matriarchs of the Black Feminist movement will never be put into the same conversation as the matriarchs of the Feminist movement. A large part of her work mirrors separatist Black Nationalist discourse, because of the focus on the collective rather than the individual as the forefront of her ideology.

Hudson-Weems refutes Africana womanism as an addendum to feminism, and asserts that her ideology differs from Black feminism, Walker's womanism, and African womanism. Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi [ ] is a Nigerian literary critic. In 1985, she published the article 'Womanism: The Dynamics of the Contemporary Black Female Novel in English', and described her interpretation of womanism. She asserts that the womanist vision is to answer the ultimate question of how to equitably share power among the races and between the sexes. She arrived at her interpretation of the term independently of Alice Walker's definition, yet there are several overlaps between the two ideologies. Rather than citing gender inequality as the source of Black oppression, Ogunyemi takes a separatist stance much like Hudson-Weems, and dismisses the possibility of reconciliation of white feminists and black feminists on the grounds of the intractability of racism.

She uses a few examples of how feminists write about Blackness and African Blackness specifically to make salient the need for an African conception of womanism. These critiques include the use of Blackness as a tool to forward feminist ideals without also forwarding ideals related to blackness, the thought that western feminism is a tool which would work in African nations without acknowledging cultural norms and differences, and a co-opting of things that African women have been done for centuries before the western notion of feminism into western feminism. It is also important to note that Ogunyemi finds her conception of Womanisms relationship with men at the cross roads of Walker’s and Hudson Weems’ conceptions.

Walker’s expresses a communal opportunity for men while acknowledging how they can be dangerous to the womanist community. While Hudson-Weems’ conception refuses to see the Africana man as an enemy, disregarding the harm that Africana men have imparted on to the community. Ogunyemi ultimately says that these need to be combined where African men are uplifted in the community to have womanist thought, however are positioned in the community so as to not able to assert themselves in mediums that they do not know of Ideologies [ ] Womanism has various definitions and interpretations. At its broadest definition, it is a universalist ideology for all women, regardless of color.

A womanist is, according to Walker's 1979 story Coming Apart, an African-American heterosexual woman willing to utilize wisdom from African-American lesbians about how to improve sexual relationships and avoid being sexually objectified. In the context of men's destructive use of pornography and their exploitation of Black women as pornographic objects, a womanist is also committed to 'the survival and wholeness of an entire people, male and female' through confronting oppressive forces. Walker's much cited phrase, 'womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender' suggests that Walker considers feminism as a component of the wider ideological umbrella of womanism. It focuses on the unique experiences, struggles, needs, and desires of not just Black women, but all women of color in addition to critically addressing the dynamics of the conflict between the mainstream feminist, the Black feminist, the African feminist, and the Africana womanist movement. However, there is Black nationalist discourse prevalent within womanist work and for this reason scholars are divided between associating womanism with other similar ideologies such as and or taking the stance that the three are inherently incompatible.

Black feminism [ ]. Main article: The movement was formed in response to the needs of women who were racially underrepresented by the Women's Movement and sexually oppressed by the. Scholars assert that African-American women are doubly disadvantaged in the social, economic, and political sphere, because they face discrimination on the basis of both race and gender. Black women felt that their needs were being ignored by both movements and they struggled to identify with either based on race or gender. African-American women who use the term Black feminism attach a variety of interpretations to it. One such interpretation is that Black feminism addresses the needs of African-American women that the Feminism Movement largely ignores.

Feminism, as Black feminist theorist Pearl Cleage defines it, is 'the belief that women are full human beings capable of participation and leadership in the full range of human activities—intellectual, political, social, sexual, spiritual, and economic'. With this definition, the feminist agenda can be said to encompass different issues ranging from political rights to educational opportunities within a global context. The Black feminist agenda seeks to streamline these issues and focuses on those that are the most applicable to African-American women.

Africana womanism [ ] Clenora Hudson-Weems's arose from a nationalist concept. In Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves, Hudson-Weems explores the limitations of feminist theory and explains the ideas and activism of different African women who have contributed to womanist theory.

At its core, rejects feminism because it is set up in a way as to promote the issues of white women over the issues of Black women. Hudson-Weems argues that feminism will never be okay for black women due to the implications of slavery and prejudice. She further asserts that the relationship between a and a is significantly different from the relationship between a White man and a White woman, because the white woman battles the white man for subjugating her, but the black women battles all oppressive forces that subjugate her, her children, and the black man. She further asserts that racism forced African-American men and African-American women to assume unconventional gender roles. In this context, the desire of mainstream feminism to dismantle traditional gender roles becomes inapplicable to the black experience.

Unlike womanism, Africana womanism is an ideology designed specifically with women of African descent in mind. It is grounded in African culture and focuses on the unique struggles, needs, and desires of African women. Based on this reasoning, Africana Womanism posits race- and class-based oppression as far more significant than gender-based oppression. Womanist identity [ ] In her introduction to The Womanist Reader, Layli Phillips contends that despite womanism's characterization, its main concern is not the black woman per se but rather the black woman is the point of origination for womanism. The basic tenets of womanism includes a strong self-authored spirit of activism that is especially evident in literature. Womanism has been such a polarizing movement for women that it has managed to step outside of the black community and extend itself into other non-white communities.

'Purple is to Lavender' illustrates this through experiences that Dimpal Jain and Caroline Turner discuss. Some scholars view womanism as a subcategory of feminism while others argue that it is actually the other way around. Purple is to Lavender explores the concept that womanism is to feminism as purple is to lavender, that feminism falls under the umbrella of womanism. In 'Purple is to Lavender', Dimpal Jain and Caroline Turner discuss their experiences as non-white women in faculty. They experienced a great deal of discrimination because they were minorities.

Jain is south Asian, while Caroline identifies as Filipino (Jain & Turner, pp. 67–70). They go on to describe the concept of 'The Politics of Naming' which shapes the reason for why they prefer womanism as opposed to feminism (Jain & Turner, pp. 73–75). Jain states: 'I knew that the term feminism was contested and that I did not like how it fit in my mouth. It was uncomfortable and scratchy, almost like a foreign substance that I was being forced to consume as the White women continued to smile with comforting looks of familiarity and pride' (Jain & Turner, p. 68). Here Turner makes it well known that she feels as though feminism is something that is forced upon her. She feels like she cannot completely identify with feminism. It is also important to note Jain's statement that, 'The crux of the politics of naming is that names serve as identifiers and are not neutral when attached to social movements, ideas, and groups of people.

Naming and labeling become politicized acts when they serve to determine any type of membership at a group level' (Jain & Turner, p. 73). This statement illustrates that if an individual identifies with feminism they may do so for particular reasons. However, those reasons may not be evident to the general public because of the connotation that the word feminism brings with it in terms of social movements, ideas, and groups of people. Individuals want something to identify with that expresses and supports their beliefs holistically. They want something that they can embrace to the fullest without any hint of regret.

Similarly, Alice Walker even states: 'I don't choose womanism because it is 'better' than feminism.I choose it because I prefer the sound, the feel, the fit of it because I share the old ethnic-American habit of offering society a new word when the old word it is using fails to describe behavior and change that only a new word can help it more fully see' (quoted in Jain & Turner, pp. 77–78). For a majority of black women feminism has failed to accurately and holistically describe them as individuals to the world that surrounds them. They feel as though it takes something new that is not already bound to a predetermined master in order to capture this new movement. Womanism is something that Alice Walker can completely identify with without having second thoughts; it feels natural to her.

Feminism does not. When distinguishing between feminism and womanism it is important to remember that many women find womanism easier to identify with. In addition, a key component of a womanist discourse is the role that spirituality and ethics has on ending the interlocking oppression of race, gender, and class that circumscribes the lives of African-American women. Literature and activism [ ] Womanist literature and activism are two areas that are largely interpolated, with each having a considerable effect on the other. A major tenet of Womanist literature and activism is the idea that Black activists and Black authors should separate themselves from the feminist ideology.

This stems from assertions by Kalenda Eaton, Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi, and numerous other Womanist theologians that the goal of a Womanist should be to promote the issues affecting not just Black women, but black men and other groups that have been subjected to discrimination or impotence. In the words of Chikwenye Okonjo Ogunyemi, a white woman writer may be a Feminist, but a black woman writer is likely to be a Womanist. That is, she recognizes that along with battling for sexual equality, she must also incorporate race, economics, culture, and politics within her philosophy. In Kalenda Eaton's, Womanism, Literature and the Black Community, black women writers are portrayed as both activists and visionaries for change in the Black Community following the.

She interweaves the historical events of African-American history with the development of Afro-Politico Womanism in a bid to create a haven for Black female within the black community. This Afro-Politico Womanism veers from the traditional feminist goal of gender equality within a group and rather seeks to fight for the men and women whose are infringed upon. While Eaton takes the stance that Black women were largely excluded from the more prominent positions within the Black Movement, she argues that black women activists had the greatest effect in small-scale grassroots protests within their communities. Using various characters from 's, Alice Walker's, 's, and 's as symbols of the various political agendas and issues that were prevalent within The Black Movement, Eaton draws upon the actions of the protagonists to illustrate solutions to the problems of disgruntlement and disorganization within the movement. Often the main task of these literary activists was to empower the impoverished masses—defined by Eaton as mainly Southern African-Americans, and they used the black middle class as a model for the possibility of social mobility within the African-American community.

A common theme within Womanist literature is the failure of Black women writers to identify with feminist thought. Womanism becomes the concept that binds these novelists together. Spirituality [ ] Spirituality concerns the desire for a connection with the sacred, the unseen, the superhuman, or the nonexistent. Offers this definition: 'Spirituality is not merely a system of religious beliefs similar to logical systems of ideas. Rather, spirituality comprises articles of faith that provide a conceptual framework for living everyday life Whereby religion is an institutional mechanism, spirituality is a personal one. Unlike religion, spirituality cannot be abandoned or switched. It is an integral component of one's consciousness.

Womanist spirituality has six identifying characteristics—it is eclectic, synthetic, holistic, personal, visionary, and pragmatic. It draws from its resources and uses the summation of said resources to create a whole from multiple parts. Although it is ultimately defined by self, it envisions the larger picture and exists to solve problems and end injustice. Emilie Townes, a womanist theologian, further asserts that womanist spirituality grows out of individual and communal reflection on African American faith and life.

She explains that it is not grounded in the notion that spirituality is a force but rather a practice separate from who we are moment by moment. ' In a blaze of glory: womanist spirituality as social witness. Nashville: Abingdon Press. One of the main characteristics of womanism is its religious aspect, commonly thought of as Christian. This connotation paints the picture of spiritual black womanists being 'church going' women that play a vital role in the operation of the church.

In William's article Womanist Spirituality Defined she discusses how womanist spirituality is directly connected to an individual's experiences with God. For instance, Williams declares, 'the use of the term spirituality in this paper speaks of the everyday experiences of life and the way in which we relate to and interpret God at work in those experiences'. However, this connotation is disputed in 's Roundtable Discussion: 'Must I Be a Womanist?' Where she focuses on the shortcomings of womanism that result from how individuals have historically described womanism. This holistic discussion of womanism is the result of a roundtable discussion. Coleman, who initiated the discussion, describes her thoughts on why she prefers black feminism as opposed to womanism, and she also discusses the limited scope that womanist religious scholarship embodies. Coleman offers deep insight into the spiritual aspect of womanism when she declares that, 'Intentionally or not, womanists have created a Christian hegemonic discourse within the field'.

Here Coleman explains that the majority of womanists have painted the spiritual aspect of womanism to be spiritual in terms of Christianity. A specific example of this occurs in Walker's 'Everyday Use', in the instance when the mother suddenly gains the courage to take a stand against her spoiled daughter as she declares, 'When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I'm in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout'. This could be categorized as an example of the spiritual aspect of womanism because of the mention of relation to the Christian God. However, Coleman provides a counter example to this assumption when she states: 'How, for example, might a womanist interpret the strength Tina Turner finds in Buddhism and the role her faith played in helping her to leave a violent relationship?'

Here Coleman pokes a hole in the pre-conceived notions of womanist scholarship. Coleman believes that the notorious sector of spirituality that womanism is most known for referring to is limited in its scope. Womanist religious scholarship has the ability to spread across a variety of paradigms and represent and support radical womanist spirituality. Considering womanism as a whole, it is also important to understand how it relates to feminism. Ethics [ ] Womanist ethics is a religious discipline that examines the ethical theories concerning human agency, action, and relationship. At the same time, it rejects social constructions that have neglected the existence of a group of women that have bared the brunt of injustice and oppression.

Its perspective is shaped by the theological experiences of African-American women. With the use of analytic tools, the effect of race, class, gender, and sexuality on the individual and communal perspective is examined. Womanist ethic provides an alternative to Christian and other religious ethics while utilizing the elements of critique, description, and construction to assess the power imbalance and patriarchy that has been used to oppress women of color and their communities. The publication of Katie Cannon's The Emergence of Black Feminist Consciousness was the first to directly speak on womanist ethics.

In this article, Cannon argues that the perspectives of Black women are largely ignored in various religious and academic discourses. Expands on this point by asserting that Black women concurrently experience the three oppressive forces of racism, sexism, and classism. Black feminist theory has been used by womanist ethics to explain the lack of participation of African-American women and men in academic discourse., credits this phenomenon to prevalence of white men determining what should or should not be considered valid discourse and urges for an alternative mode of producing knowledge that includes the core themes of Black female consciousness. Critiques [ ] A major ongoing critique about womanist scholarship is the failure of many scholars to critically address homosexuality within the black community.

Walker's protagonist in Coming Apart uses writings from two African-American lesbians, and, to support her argument that her husband should stop consuming pornography. She posts quotes from Audre Lorde above her kitchen sink. States that a womanist is 'a woman who loves another woman, sexually and/or non-sexually', yet despite Coming Apart and In Search of Our Mother's Garden, there is very little literature linking womanism to the lesbian and bisexual issue. Womanist theologian Renee Hill cites Christian influences as the cause of the lack of sympathy towards and. Black feminist critic blames it on the Black community's reluctance to come to terms with homosexuality.

On the other hand, there is an increase in the criticism of heterosexism within womanist scholarship. Christian womanist theologian Pamela R. Lightsey, in her book Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology (2015), writes, 'To many people, we are still perverts. To many, the Black pervert is the most dangerous threat to the American ideal. Because the Black conservative bourgeoisie has joined the attack on our personhood, Black LGBTQ persons cannot allow the discourse to be controlled such that our existence within the Black community is denied or made invisible.'

An additional critique lies within the ambivalence of womanism. In Africana womanism and African womanism, the term is associated with black nationalist discourse and the separatist movement. Argues that this exaggerates racial differences by promoting homogeneous identity. This is a sharp contrast to the universalist model of womanism that is championed by Walker. The continued controversy and dissidence within the various ideologies of womanism serves only to draw attention away from the goal of ending race and gender-based oppression.

See also [ ]. • ^ Phillips, L. The Womanist Reader, New York: Routledge. • ^ Phillips, Layli (2006). The Womanist Reader.

New York: Routledge. • Eaton, Kalenda (1965–1980). Womanism Literature, and the transformation of the Black community. New York: Routledge.

• Gillman, L (2006). Unassimilable feminisms: reappraising feminist, womanist, and mestiza identity politics. Palgrave Macmillan.

• ^ Mazama, Ama (2003). The Afrocentric Paradigm. Trenton: Africa World Press. • James, Joy, ed. The Black feminist reader (Reprinted ed.).

Malden, Mass. [u.a.]: Blackwell.. • Walker, Alice (2005). In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens: Womanist Prose.

London: Phoenix.. • ^ The Black Scholar, Vol. 1, The Challenge of Blackness (Winter/Spring 1996). • Walker, In Search of Our Mother's Garden's: Womanist Prose, p. • ^ Maparyan, Layli (2012). The Womanist Idea.

New York, New York: Taylor & Francis. • ANIH, UCHENNA BETHRAND. 'A Womanist Reading of Douceurs du bercail by Aminata Sow Fall'. Matatu: Journal for African Culture & Society (41): 105–124. access-date= requires url= () • ^ Collins, Patricia (1996). 'What's In a Time: Womanism, Black Feminism, and Beyond'. The Black Scholar.

26: 11. access-date= requires url= () • ^ Walker, 'Everyday Use'. • ^ Dieke, Ikenna (1999). Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

• Winchell, Donna Haisty (1992). Alice Walker. New York: Twayne. Alexander-Floyd and Evelyn M. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, Vol. 1 (2006), pp. • Hubbard, LaRese (2010).

'Anna Julia Cooper and Africana Womanism: Some Early Conceptual Contributions'. Black Women, Gender & Families. • Russo, Stacy. 'The Womanist Reader by Layli Phillips' (review), Feminist Teacher, 2009: 243-45. • ^ Ogunyemi, Chikwenye Okonjo (1996). Africa wo/man palava:the nigerian novel by woman.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press. • Johnson, N. 'Theorizing female agency and empowerment through black women's literary writings (Clenora Hudson-Weems, Bettina Weiss)'. Research In African Literatures.

(1995), From Women's Experience to, Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press,1995. • King, Deborah.. Women's Studies Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press.

Retrieved 21 October 2013. • 'But Some of Us Are Brave: A History of Black Feminism In the United States'. 'Gender differences in attitudes toward Black feminism among African Americans', Political Science Quarterly, 119(2), 315-338. Retrieved November 20, 2013, from the JSTOR database. • Off Our Backs, Vol. 10 (September 1973), p.

(1998), 'African Womanism: An Afrocentric Theory', Journal of Black Studies, 28(5), 515-539. Forms Api Master Keygen Crack. • Stephens, R., M.

Keaveny, & V. Patton (2002). 'Come Colour My Rainbow': Themes of Africana Womanism in the Poetic Vision of Audrey Kathryn Bullett'. Journal of Black Studies, 32(4), 464-466. Retrieved October 20, 2013, from the JSTOR database.

• ^ Jain & Turner, pp. • Tsuruta, D. (2012), 'The Womanish Roots of Womanism: A Culturally-Derived and African-Centered Ideal(Concept)', The Western Journal of Black Studies, 36(1), 4. Retrieved November 20, 2013, from the EHIS database. • ^ Harris, M. Gifts of virtue, Alice Walker, and womanist ethics (p.

New York: Palgrave Macmillan. • ^ Sarah Smorol, Rocky Mountain Review, Vol.

1 (Spring, 2009), pp. (electronic thesis or dissertation). • ^ Williams 97. • ^ Coleman, Monica A.,, Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Volume 22, Number 1, Spring 2006 (85–136), pp. • ^ Coleman, p.

• Coleman, p. • Lightsey, Pamela (2015). Our Lives Matter. Pickwick Publications.

• Walker, Alice (February 19, 2015), 'Everyday Use.' American Studies at the University of Virginia.

University of Virginia. • Jain, Dimpal, and Caroline Turner (April 7, 2015), 'Purple Is To Lavender: Womanism, Resistance, and The Politics Of Naming.' Negro Educational Review. • Williams, Khalia Jelks (April 16, 2015), 'Engaging Womanist Spirituality In African American Christian Worship.' Proceedings Of The North American Academy For Liturgy.

Further reading [ ] • Alexander-Floyd, N. G., & Simien, E.

'Revisiting 'What's in a Name?' Exploring the Contours of Africana Womanist Thought'. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 27 (1), 67-89. Doi: 10.1353/fro.2006.0011 • Silva-Wayne, Susan., Women's Press Ltd, 2003. • Walker, Alice., Mariner Books, 2003. • Douglas, Kelly Brown., Orbis Books, 1999.

• Cannon, Katie Geneva., Continuum, 1998. • Cannon, Katie G., An American Academy of Religion Book, 1988. • Thomas, Linda E., Paradigm Cross Currents, Summer 1998 Vol. • Lightsey, Pamela R. Our Lives Matter: A Womanist Queer Theology, PICKWICK Publications, 2015.

External links [ ] • • — a Womanist blog.

William Blake's watercolor of 'Age teaching youth', a Romantic representation of mentorship. Blake represented this type of relationship in many of his works, including the illustrations of his. The original object is currently held by The roots of the practice are lost in antiquity. The word itself was inspired by the character of in 's. Though the actual Mentor in the story is a somewhat ineffective old man, the goddess takes on his appearance in order to guide young in his time of difficulty.

Historically significant systems of mentorship include the practiced in and,, the discipleship system practiced by and the church, and under the medieval system. In the United States, advocates for workplace equity in the second half of the twentieth century popularized the term 'mentor' and concept of career mentorship as part of a larger lexicon—which also includes terms such as, bamboo ceiling,,, and —serving to identify and address the problems barring non-dominant groups from professional success. Mainstream business literature subsequently adopted the terms and concepts, promoting them as pathways to success for all career climbers. In 1970 these terms were not in the general American vocabulary; by the mid-1990s they had become part of everyday speech.

Professional bodies and qualifications [ ] The European Mentoring and Coaching Council, also called the EMCC, is the leading global body in terms of creating and maintaining a range of industry standard frameworks, rules and processes across the mentoring and related supervision and coaching fields e.g. A code of practice for those practising mentoring. Techniques [ ] The focus of mentoring is to develop the whole person and so the techniques are broad and require wisdom in order to be used appropriately. A 1995 study of mentoring techniques most commonly used in business found that the five most commonly used techniques among mentors were: • Accompanying: making a commitment in a caring way, which involves taking part in the learning process side-by-side with the learner. • Sowing: mentors are often confronted with the difficulty of preparing the learner before he or she is ready to change. Sowing is necessary when you know that what you say may not be understood or even acceptable to learners at first but will make sense and have value to the mentee when the situation requires it. • Catalyzing: when change reaches a critical level of pressure, learning can escalate.

Here the mentor chooses to plunge the learner right into change, provoking a different way of thinking, a change in identity or a re-ordering of values. • Showing: this is making something understandable, or using your own example to demonstrate a skill or activity. You show what you are talking about, you show by your own behavior. • Harvesting: here the mentor focuses on 'picking the ripe fruit': it is usually used to create awareness of what was learned by experience and to draw conclusions. The key questions here are: 'What have you learned?'

, 'How useful is it?' Different techniques may be used by mentors according to the situation and the mindset of the mentee, and the techniques used in modern organizations can be found in ancient education systems, from the Socratic technique of harvesting to the accompaniment method of learning used in the apprenticeship of itinerant cathedral builders during the Middle Ages. Leadership authors Jim Kouzes and advise mentors to look for 'teachable moments' in order to 'expand or realize the potentialities of the people in the organizations they lead' and underline that personal credibility is as essential to quality mentoring as skill. A senior editor mentors a junior editor. Multiple mentors: A new and upcoming trend is having multiple mentors. This can be helpful because we can all learn from each other.

Having more than one mentor will widen the knowledge of the person being mentored. There are different mentors who may have different strengths.

Profession or trade mentor: This is someone who is currently in the trade/profession you are entering. They know the trends, important changes and new practices that you should know to stay at the top of your career. A mentor like this would be someone you can discuss ideas regarding the field, and also be introduced to key and important people that you should know. Industry mentor: This is someone who doesn't just focus on the profession.

This mentor will be able to give insight on the industry as a whole. Whether it be research, development or key changes in the industry, you need to know. Organization mentor: Politics in the organizations are constantly changing. It is important to be knowledgeable about the values, strategies and products that are within your company, but also when these things are changing. An organization mentor can clarify missions and strategies, and give clarity when needed. Work process mentor: This mentor can speed quickly over the bumps, and cut through the unnecessary work.

This mentor can explain the 'ins and outs' of projects, day to day tasks, and eliminate unnecessary things that may be currently going on in your work day. This mentor can help to get things done quickly and efficiently. Technology mentor: This is an up-and-coming, incredibly important position. Technology has been rapidly improving, and becoming more a part of day to day transactions within companies. In order to perform your best, you must know how to get things done on the newest technology.

A technology mentor will help with technical breakdowns, advise on systems that may work better than what you're currently using, and coach you through new technology and how to best use it and implement it into your daily life. These mentors are only examples.

There can be many more different types of mentors. Look around your workplace, your life, and see who is an expert that you can learn something from.

Typology [ ]. Some elements of mentoring.

There are two broad types of mentoring relationships: formal and informal. Formal mentoring relationships are set up by an administrative unit or office in a company or organization, which solicits and recruits qualified individuals who are willing to mentor, provides training to the mentors, and then helps to match the mentors up with a person in need of mentoring. While formal mentoring systems contain numerous structural and guidance elements, they still typically allow the mentor and mentee to have an active role in choosing who they want to work with. Formal mentoring programs which simply assign mentors to mentees without giving these individuals a say have not performed well. Even though a mentor and a mentee may seem perfectly matched 'on paper', in practice, they may have different working or learning styles. As such, giving the mentor and the mentee the opportunity to help select who they want to work with is a widely used approach.

Informal mentoring occurs without the use of structured recruitment, mentor training and matching services. Informal mentoring arrangements can develop naturally from situations in which a more experienced individual meets a new employee, and the two strike up a rapport. In addition to these broad types, there are also peer, situational and supervisory mentoring relationships. These tend to fall under the categories of formal and informal mentoring relationships. Informal relationships develop on their own between partners. Formal mentoring, on the other hand, refers to a structured process supported by the organization and addressed to target populations. Youth mentoring programs assist at-risk children or youth who lack role models and sponsors.

In business, formal mentoring is part of strategies which are used to groom key employees, newly hired graduates, high potential-employees and future leaders. The matching of mentor and mentee is often done by a mentoring coordinator, often with the help of a computerized database registry. The use of the database helps to match up mentees with mentors who have the type of experience and qualifications they are seeking. Mentor Neo Ntsoma (on the right) giving a workshop to young people. Meta-analysis of 112 individual research studies found mentoring has significant behavioral, attitudinal, health-related, relational, motivational, and career benefits. Especially in the workplace, there are many benefits to developing a mentorship program for new and current employees. Career development: Setting up a career development mentoring program for employees enables an organization to help junior employees to learn the skills and behaviours from senior employees that the junior employees need to advance to higher-responsibility positions.

This type of mentoring program can help to align organizational goals with employees' personal career goals (of progressing within the organization). It gives employees the ability to advance professionally and learn more about their work. This collaboration also gives employees a feeling of engagement with the organization, which can lead to better retention rates and increased employee satisfaction. High potential mentoring: The most talented employees in organizations tend to be difficult to retain, as they are usually seeking greater challenges and responsibilities, and they are likely to leave for a different organization if they do not feel that they are being given the opportunity to develop. Top talent, whether in an innovation or management role, have incredible potential to make great things happen for an organization. Creating a mentoring program for high-potential employees that gives them one-on-one guidance from senior leaders can help to build the engagement of these talented employees, give them the opportunity to develop, and increase their retention in the organization. Diversity mentoring: One of the top ways to innovate is by bringing in new ideas from senior employees and leaders from underrepresented groups (e.g., women, ethnic minorities, etc.).

Who is an underrepresented group depends on the industry sector and country. In many Western countries, women and ethnic minorities are significantly underrepresented in executive positions and boards of directors. In some traditionally gender segregated occupations, such as and, however, women may be the dominant gender in the workforce. Mentors from underrepresented groups can empower employees from underrepresented groups to increase their confidence to take on higher-responsibility tasks and prepare for leadership roles. By developing employees from diverse groups, this can give the organization access to new ideas, new ways of looking at problems, and new perspectives. This also brings cultural awareness and intercultural dialogue into the workplace.

Main article: In many secondary and post-secondary schools, mentorship programs are offered to support students in program completion, confidence building and transitioning to further education or the workforce. There are also programs designed specifically to bring under-represented populations into science and engineering.

[ ] The Internet has brought university alumni closer to graduating students. Graduate university alumni are engaging with current students in career mentorship through interview questions and answers.

The students with the best answers receive professional recommendations from industry experts build a more credible CV. Instructional coaches [ ] Instructional coaches are former teachers or principals that have shown effectiveness in their work of teaching or leading and go through additional training to learn more about the technical skills needed to be an effective coach. In her book The Art of Coaching, Elena Aguilar recommends that a coach 'must have been an effective teacher for at least five years.' Though skills that were effective in the classroom are a must, the coach must also be confident in working with adults, bringing strong listening, communication, and data analysis skills to the coaching position. Ultimately, an instructional coach is a former teacher who was successful in the classroom and is respected in the field, with the respect carrying over into this new position. Activities [ ] Coaches seek to work one-on-one with teachers or in a small group setting with teachers to build student achievement in the classroom based on data collected and discussed by both teacher or coach.

According to Melinda Mangin and KaiLonnie Dunsmore, instructional coaching models may include: 'cognitive coaching, clinical supervision, peer coaching and mentoring, formal literacy coaching, informal coaching, or a mixed model. Other researchers have described categories of coaching such as data-oriented, student-oriented, managerial, and coaches who work with individual teachers or with groups of teachers'. Ultimately, coaching roles are designed to increase teacher capacity and push teacher improvement through learning opportunities.

The practice of instructional coaching is embedded within the work of a teacher, not in isolation of their everyday teaching. In other words, the coach works with the teacher throughout the school year and meets during the school day with the teacher regarding current lessons, planning, and the observations/data collected. The discussions between the instructional coach and teacher are built upon mutual respect and a trusting relationship through confidentiality. Overall, instructional coaching is meant to serve as professional development for the teacher(s). A coach's main responsibility in this way is to change practice and build knowledge on 'new instructional materials, programs, and initiatives' with the teacher.

This professional development can come through discussion, but also can come in other forms. Instructional coaches can model lessons and instructional strategies in the teachers' classroom to show examples and have teachers feel more confident in using these strategies. Teacher observations is one of the most powerful ways that coaches can put data for change in front of teachers. Coaches doing observations and collecting data to debrief with teachers helps paint a picture for teacher improvement. Effectiveness [ ] According to a three-year research study done by the Pennsylvania Institute for Instructional Coaching, there was an increase in student success when instructional coaching was used in the classroom. This, however, could not be viewed as solely 'instructional coaching' in isolation of other factors. The coaching 'model emphasizes the simultaneous use of four strategies: one-on-one teacher engagement; evidence-based literacy practices applied across the curriculum; data analytics; and reflection on practice.'

Yet, teachers have shared that: • Ninety-one percent of teachers coached regularly stated that coaches helped them understand and use new teaching strategies. • Seventy-nine percent of teachers coached regularly said that their coach played a significant role in improving their classroom instruction and practice. • Teachers who were regularly coached one-on-one reported that: • They made significant changes in their instructional practice. • Their students were more engaged in the classroom and enthusiastic about learning. • Attendance increased dramatically in their classes.

In addition to this, 'the most effective professional development model is thought to involve follow-up activities, usually in the form of long-term support, coaching in teachers' classrooms, or ongoing interaction with colleagues.' In most cases, instructional coaching can provide this support and meet this definition of effective professional development. Administrative support [ ] There should also be support from administration around the instructional coaching to align the work of the coach and teacher with the school's mission or vision. Knight focuses on the partnership with the principal being at the core of successful coaching. Knight explains that the principal and the instructional coach need to be aligned in their goals for the coaching occurring. If they have differing desired outcomes for teaching, then the teacher will be receiving mixed messages and caught between improvement and a standstill.

Aguilar suggests that coaches continually ask about the school's goals as well as action steps to meet these and bring into daily coaching. Data-driven strategies [ ] In conjunction with this partnership and observations, Knight's belief of data usage is critical for teacher improvement during coaching sessions. Knight shares how giving opinions and telling a teacher how to improve stops the learning for the teacher and instead creates a barrier between the coach and teacher and makes the teacher expect hand-holding. Instead, the data needs to tell a story for the teacher to determine moves to try to improve. This allows ownership for the teacher as well as understanding of their work in conjunction with the work. Relationship building [ ] The relationships and trust between the coach and coachee are a critical component of coaching.

A coach having specific content knowledge and respect in a teacher's field of teaching would help build trust. Another way to build this trust is through confidentiality. By keeping all conversations confidential and sticking to that, the coachee knows that your word is good. In addition to relationship building, it is important to let the coachee feel comfortable talking to you about anything—there may need to be the time when a crisis they are facing trumps conversation about the lesson. Starting a coaching conversation about how life is going for a coachee is also important to relationship building.

Content and pedagogical knowledge [ ] According to Nelson and Sassi, 'knowledge of pedagogical process and content knowledge must be fused' in both understanding teaching and observing teaching. For example, an instructional coach that is working with a math teacher should know 'current mathematics education reform efforts are built on the notion that the ideas in a subject, and the ways in which students and teachers work with the ideas, matter.' It seems clear that a deep pedagogical knowledge as well as deep content specific knowledge are required for the teacher to have confidence in the coach and for the coach to be able to step in and assume the role of the teacher. Knowledge that coaches need to be effective span just content and pedagogical knowledge. Aguilar uses the ladder of inference to allow coaches to evaluate their own thoughts, and ultimately use this ladder to help principals and teachers evaluate their own beliefs before jumping to assumptions. Aguilar states that her 'list of beliefs has changed over the years. You can change yours, too.

The point is to be mindful of the beliefs from which we're working and to notice the effect of working from those beliefs.' Beliefs can change about approaches to teaching, classroom management, or even content knowledge.

Blended mentoring [ ] The blended mentoring is a mix of on-site and online events, projected to give to career counselling and development services the opportunity to adopt mentoring in their ordinary practice. Reverse mentoring [ ] In the reverse mentoring situation, the mentee has less overall experience (typically as a result of age) than the mentor (who is typically older), but the mentee has more knowledge in a particular area, and as such, reverses the typical constellation. Examples are when young internet or mobile savvy teens train executives in using their high end. They in turn sometimes offer insight in business processes. Business mentoring [ ] The concept of mentoring has entered the business domain as well.

This is different from being an; a business mentor provides guidance to a business owner or an on the entrepreneur's business. [ ] An apprentice learns a trade by working on the job with the 'employer'. A 2012 literature review by EPS-PEAKS investigated the practice of business mentoring, with a focus on the. The review found strong evidence to suggest that business mentoring can have real benefits for entrepreneurs, but highlights some key factors that need to be taken into account when designing mentoring programmes for this to be the case, such as the need to balance a formal and informal approach and to appropriately match mentors and mentees. See also [ ] • • • • • • • • • • • References [ ]. • ^ Farren Ph.D., Caela.

• Fagenson-Eland, Ellen A., Michelle A. Marks, and Karen L.

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Effective Teaching and Mentoring. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. • ^ Aubrey, Bob & Cohen, Paul (1995). Working Wisdom: Timeless Skills and Vanguard Strategies for Learning Organizations. Pp. 23, 44–47, 96–97. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

• Ensher, E.; Heun, C.; Blanchard, A. 'Online mentoring and computer-mediated communication: New directions in research'. Journal of Vocational Behavior. • Buell, Cindy (January 2004). 'Models of Mentoring in Communication'.

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A multidisciplinary meta-analysis comparing mentored and non-mentored individuals'. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 72: 254–267.. • Cussler, Margaret (1958). The Woman Executive. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co.

• ^ Roche, Gerard R. (January–February 1979). 'Much Ado about Mentors'. Harvard Business Review. • Levinson, Daniel S.; Darrow, C. N,; Klein, E. B.; Levinson, M.

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'Marginal mentoring: The effects of type of mentor, quality of relationship, and program design on work and career attitudes.' Academy of Management Journal 43, no. 6 (2000): 1177-1194. • Kaye, Beverly; Jordan-Evans, Sharon (2005).

Love 'Em or Lose Em: Getting Good People to Stay. Simulazione Modello Unico 2016 more. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. • ^ Pompper, D.; Adams, J. 'Under the microscope: Gender and mentor-protege relationships'. Public Relations Review. Science Direct (32): 309–315.

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Communication Quarterly. 37 (3): 199–213.. •, Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make Me a Mentor Match, Workforce Magazine, 16 May 2012 • Allen, TD.; Eby, LT.; Lentz, E (2006). 'Mentorship behaviors and mentorship quality associated with formal mentoring programs: closing the gap between research and practice'. Journal of Applied Psychology. 91 (3): 567–578... • • ^ Aguilar, Elena (2013).

The art of coaching: effective strategies for school transformation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • ^ Dupree, Orlena.. Retrieved 2017-04-28. • Bukowiecki, E. Promoting quality assurance in literacy instruction: The preparation, inquiries and practices of literacy professionals.

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• ^ Mangin, Melinda M.; Dunsmore, KaiLonnie (2014-05-14).. Educational Administration Quarterly. 51 (2): 179–213.. • ^ Knight, J.

Instructional Coaching: A Partnership Approach to Improving Instruction. Corwin Press. • ^ Medrich, E.A.; Fitzgerald, R.; Skomsvold, P. Retrieved March 20, 2017. 'Teacher Learning and the Mathematics Reforms: What We Think We Know and What We Need to Learn'. The Phi Delta Kappan. • ^ Nelson, Barbara Scott; Sassi, Annette (2016-06-29)..

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Query response. Further reading [ ] • Alliance for Excellent Education. (2005) Tapping the potential: Retaining and developing high-quality new teachers. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education. • Boreen, J., Johnson, M. K., Niday, D., & Potts, J.

Mentoring beginning teachers: guiding, reflecting, coaching. York, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

• Carger, C.L. 'The two Bills: Reflecting on the gift of mentorship'. Peabody Journal of Education. 71 (1): 22–29..

A two-year evaluation of the peer support pilot project. Evaluation/Feasibility Report, Toronto Board of Education. • Clinard, L. M.; Ariav, T. 'What mentoring does for mentors: A cross-cultural perspective'.

European Journal of Teacher Education. 21 (1): 91–108..

Walking the tightrope: The role of mentoring in developing educators as professionals, in Mullen, C.A. Boettcher, & D.S. Adoue (Eds.), Breaking the circle of one: Redefining mentorship in the lives and writings of educators. New York: Peter Lang. Mentor: Guiding the journey of adult learners. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

A., Reiman, A. J., & Thies-Sprinthall, L. The reality of mentoring; Complexity in its process and function. Holmes (Eds), Mentoring: Contemporary principles and issues. Reston, VA: Association of Teacher Educators, 5-24. • Huang, Chungliang and Jerry Lynch (1995), Mentoring - The TAO of Giving and Receiving Wisdom, Harper, San Francisco. Mentoring at work: Developmental relationships in organizational life.

Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman. Beyond the myths and the magic of mentoring: How to facilitate an effective mentoring program. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 'Mentoring and the professional development of business students'. Journal of Management Education.

24 (3): 322–337.. • Scherer, Marge (ed.). (1999) A better beginning: Supporting and mentoring new teachers.

Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. •, by Dan Ward. A journal article published by, exploring an innovative approach to mentoring. •, by Steve O'Brian. Explores the various use cases for mentoring, including employee career development, leadership development, diversity and inclusion mentoring, reverse mentoring, and knowledge transfer. • The definition of the word “mentor” in modern world.

External links [ ] Look up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. • at Curlie (based on ).